[PRP] Rekindle - Red Flames (Sanjiva & Iyari)

[Black Magic Empress]

The air felt humid as Sanjiva walked through the domain of the War horsemen. It was a bizarre feeling for her. There was so much dirt and unkept flora that the whole area felt much more wild than her floor. Her unintentionally long period of solidarity had poisoned her with a need to reconnect with all of the Lost Clans. She had chosen the War horsemen as the first clan she would visit. From her current perspective, their way of life seemed the most distant from her own. Something about it seemed more primal and simplistic. But she was feeling the need to break out of her old routines. Getting as far from her comfort zone as possible might bring out the inspiration she felt she was lacking.

Twigs and leaves cracked beneath her armored riding boots. She had chosen against entering the War territory while literally riding a white horse. She was attempting to humble herself but she still managed to appear just as out of place on foot. She was hesitant to greet any of the War clansmen. She chose to take in the scenery at first and observe from afar as long as she could. She caught a glimpse of some carnivorous plants and moved closer to admire them. There were several flytraps growing along a tree. Above them were large pitcher plants, hanging from the branches. Her blue violet eyes soaked in the various colors and shapes. She bent over to poke a flytrap in what appeared to be its mouth. She blinked and lightly giggled to herself as she watched the trap close. She lost control of her finger and began poking at all of the traps she could see. It was strangely satisfying for her to watch all of them close. Something about it reminded her of her early youth.

An omnivorous plant large enough to swallow a horseman whole sat nearby. She jumped in surprise as she felt the behemoth mantrap shut forcefully behind her. It seemed her backside must have grazed it. She felt relieved to avoid losing any body parts to it. She looked down and noticed the bottom of her hanfu was now covered in dirt and dragging a collection of twigs and leaves. She frowned as she realized how impractical her heavy, layered outfit was in this environment. She groaned as she contemplated. Maybe this was a mistake. It’s not too late to go back. No, I need to stick to this. Just have to avoid becoming something’s feast and making a complete fool of myself.

kuumeii

 

[kuumeii]

Warm air meant warm bodies. Training bodies, that is. Since becoming an Elder, Iyari had her hands full with working with some of the younger horseman. It kept her busy and also helped her social skills, but one thing she was trying to avoid was routine, and this was unfortunately another one wrapped up in the blood and sweat of trainees. The War mare decided to take a break, wiping off her brow with her hands and walking back to find a more shaded area where there were less grunts of fighting.

As she moved to a stump to sit on, her ears picked up the cracking of leaves under something much heavier than most War Horseman. Quickly, her kopis blade found her hand and she moved into the vegetated area of their sanctuary. It was reminiscent of the tall jungles on their home isle, yet still lacked the overgrowth she was used too. She silently moved trough the thick brush, no longer able to hear the yells from the trainees, though it made her grimace they weren't giving it their all. There was a squeak nearby and her body went rigid, staring back over towards the nice, hearing the heavy boots, followed with a groan.

Iyari was quick as she thrust forward, catching something metallic and she landed on the body it was attached to, glaring down at whatever the offending being might be. For a moment she was unsure, it looked like a being of Halloween and she sniffed.

Incense...

Iyari groaned, glaring down into the eyes of her new throwrug. "Conquest..." She muttered.

Black Magic Empress

 

[Black Magic Empress]

Sanjiva’s heart had already started to gallop after she was nearly devoured by a plant. It seemed to stumble inside of her chest when she felt something collide with her. Her immediate thought was she had been pounced on by one of the beasts prowling the War territory. Her vision became fuzzy when her head hit the ground. She saw a red mane and piercing green eyes. She allowed her eyes to adjust and finally saw the face of the War Elder leering down at her. There was a haunting rage emitting her from that gave Sanjiva an unfamiliar chill. She attempted to move, but she quickly felt how much stronger the being on top of her was. Her armor made contact with Iyari’s decorative jaw bone trophy and made a scraping noise.

Iyari’s single word left Sanjiva wondering how she should respond. She wondered if perhaps all War horsemen had gone completely feral and lost the ability to speak more than one word at a time. “Yes, you’re very observant. So is this how all descendants of War greet each other?” Sanjiva smirked before she looked to the side and noticed one of the lanterns from her head piece had come off in the lightning fast encounter. She frowned a little with the shame of knowing that her reflexes had become so dull.

kuumeii

 

[kuumeii]

Iyari stood over the Conquest horseman with a glare, rolling her eyes as she spoke with that same condescending tone she had grown accustomed to. Though she was never this close enough to hear it directed back at her. Slowly she got up and stared back at her, her blade vanishing from her hand and her wings tucking back down to her sides. "It's how we greet strangers." Iyari's eyes stared back at the other's with some light in them.

"Though, I thought you might have been a child, so loud and wandering over through our little patch of wild." A sneer crossed her face and she slowly moved around the other mare to judge her. "Let me guess, you do... art or something fancy? Something that takes intricate work but not anything that would need power or strength?"

Black Magic Empress

 

[Black Magic Empress]

Sanjiva was relieved when the War horseman stood up and let her fury simmer. The frazzled Conquest mare slowly regained herself and stood up. She kept eye contact with Iyari, hoping that would it make her seem bolder. She was irritated to be compared with a child but she was also impressed with how perceptive the War mare was. Sanjiva stood as tall as she could, revealing how much taller she was. However, something about how Iyari carried herself made the height difference seem insignificant.

“It requires strength of the mind and spirit. But you are correct that I am determined to become a master artisan. I yearn to create masterpieces that truly come to life. But I feel I can’t find the appropriate inspiration while I’m trapped in routine. The domain of Conquest may be the most enriching, but I need to experience something different. This primitive place seemed like an appropriate area to start. I would like to see exactly how your clan lives with my own eyes. I want to inspire while being inspired. Would you be willing to show me around? I would like to feel truly immersed. W-”

Sanjiva abruptly stopped speaking as she finally looked away from Iyari’s face and down at the rest of her body. She quickly put her hand over her eyes. She was extremely conservative about her own body even by Conquest standards. She wore layers of clothing and makeup that covered nearly every inch of herself. She was blushing so hard that it almost showed through her pure white makeup shell. She peeked through her fingers and looked at Iyari’s revealing outfit. She tried to keep up her composure before she quietly asked, “Why are you naked? Did I interrupt some sort of ritual?”

kuumeii

 

[kuumeii]

Iyari was curious, but her wings wiggled impatiently at her sides, she had really been hoping it was something to hurt or maim. She still could but something about attacking someone who was weaker, or at least less coordinated, didn't hold much appeal to her and she shifted in her stance while listening to her. "You want to be inspired by War?" Her eyebrow lifted skeptically and she stared back.

Curiously, the other mare stopped looking at her and put a hand to her eyes and Iyari glared back at her. "What?" Her head tilted and she stared down at herself, glaring back at her. "This is normal attire, unlike you selfish lot, we keep our outfits free to move and fight it. How do you even walk with all those layers? Aren't you hot? Clearly you can't move very fast in them and sound more like an elephant than a horseman."

kuumeii

 

[Black Magic Empress]

The Conquest mare slowly put her hand down and cleared her throat. “Selfish? I do take pride in my body. It is mine alone to do what I wish with it. As well as mine alone to view. But it is exceptionally humid. It will be difficult to learn anything if I’m close to fainting.” Sanjiva knelt down to pick up the lantern that detached from her outfit during their sudden struggle. She frowned before she stiffened her body and closed her eyes. She breathed in as if she was preparing a great declaration.

“So be it. Take me where to I can change out of my current attire and bring me an outfit you deem appropriate for one who truly wants to feel like a horseman of War. Truly immersing myself in your ways is necessary. I will not hold back. Until I continue my journey to another clan, you may call me Sanjiva of War. Unless, you have some other title you deem more suitable.” The Conquest horseman was slightly wary of putting herself at the mercy of a stranger. The War Elder could easily take advantage of her ignorance, but she was committed to her words. She was willing to humble herself for the sake of finding her inspiration and moving forward. Even if it meant temporarily abandoning her comfort zones. She tried to hide her nervousness.

kuumeii

 

[kuumeii]

"I meant that you don't like helping people..." Iyari grunted, glancing back at her with a tilt of her head and smirked back to her. "You want to what?" Iyari laughed and shook her head, feeling her tremble against the earth below her and she blinked back at her. "Just take off some layers, it should be fine. No need for modesty here, Sanjiva." She refused to say the rest. "I am Iyari, and I don't need any fancy titles. Come on." The War Mare turned and walked back to the training area, but now it was quiet as the trainees had wandered off.

"Well, what do you want to see first?" Iyari's bright eyes glanced back again, looking around the area and motioning with her wings.

Black Magic Empress

 

[Black Magic Empress]

“Take them off? You mean right out here?!” Sanjiva was about to protest but she stopped herself. She wanted to prove her commitment and prove that she wasn’t just going to be a burden. She slowly removed her breastplate and gauntlets. The cream skin on her hands stood out from her outfit and white makeup. She proceeded to remove her outer hanfu, revealing another layer of red and black fabric. She held up her armor and outer layer in her arms awkwardly. The determined Conquest mare moved forward with her boots and headpiece generating metallic noises.

“I wish to see where you craft your adornments and weapons. I have some experience in such arts. I also wish to see where you hunt and the methods you use while hunting. Do you play any games of chance? I’m fond of a little risk-taking. And where do you normally spar? Have you ever used a bow?” Sanjiva rambled a bit. She stopped herself as she soon as she realized she was getting ahead of herself. “How about you pick one of those things I mentioned or perhaps just walk me through your basic daily routine?”  

[kuumeii]

Iyari was about to set her right with a blade to the face, but sighed as she relented, blinking at her as she removed layers of her clothing. She actually did it? It was curious to see someone from Conquest actually comply with something she asked, not that she had much experience but had assumed that they were all as difficult as some she had briefly met in the past.

"Sure that skin can handle being out of it's shell?" An eyebrow lifted and she stared back at her and let out a stifled laugh. "Do we play games of chance? What is war, but a chance...?" Iyari smirked, looking at her and she turned away. "Follow me if you want to learn, filly."

With some energy in her step she walked back towards the training area, taking one of the spears sitting on a table and she grabbed it, tossing it into a far target.

"Try that." Iyari commanded.

Black Magic Empresss

Sorry for the wait shmoopsiboo!

 

[Black Magic Empress]

Sanjiva had to remind herself that she was choosing to immerse herself in this environment. She slowly followed Iyari, holding her armor and outermost layer of clothing in her arms awkwardly. She folded the heavy fabric and set it down on the ground with her armor. She huffed a little as she grabbed a spear and assessed a target.

“With enough strategy and a cunning sense of intuition, chance is a diminutive factor in war. A fine-tuned wit can turn the tide of any battle, no matter intimidating it may appear,” declared Sanjiva smugly as she meticulously planned out her throw. “Distance, force, trajectory, minute changes in the air, all are factors that be combined and balanced to lead to a surprising success…” She threw her spear, but tripped a bit on the bottom of her remaining long hanfu. The fabric caught her boot and her spear landed far beyond the target. “… or a spear flying clean out of sight.” The Conquest mare sighed. Her spear went far but it was nowhere near what what she aiming for. She felt foolish considering a spear was a weapon many Conquest horseman were familiar with.

kuumeii

 

[kuumeii]

Iyari stared in utter bewilderment as she slipped on herself and sighed, shaking her head. "Alright, that clearly isn't going to work, is it..." The elder felt her wings tighten to her sides and she moved to a small tent made from tanned animal hides. "Come here." She commanded again, glaring back at her with more contempt than she would even the most energetic foal. "These are trainee outfits, take one and change into it, otherwise you're going to kill yourself or someone else."

She was already regretting her decision as she went to retrieve the wayward spear, hoping it hadn't impaled anything or anyone important.

Black Magic Empress

 

[Black Magic Empress]

The Conquest mare’s head tilted as she followed Iyari. She thought she was going to be shown a new activity. Her eyes widened when she saw the selection of training outfits. “But… Isn’t there something a little more…” She groaned a little as she watched Iyari leave to retrieve her renegade spear.

She examined each outfit closely. She exhaled deeply and decided on one to wear. She closed the tent as best she could and shyly changed into the War trainee outfit. She looked down at herself in the outfit and made herself blush. She was well-beyond her comfort zone with this much of her skin exposed. She felt the thick layer of makeup on her face and thought she must look bizarre with a snow white face standing out from the rest of her skin. She took her time to wash off her face and then redecorate it with a little war paint. Her horns stood now that they weren’t hidden among the prongs of her headdress. She breathed in heavily and finally emerged from the tent.

“I am ready!” She walked swiftly, refusing to look at Iyari. She did her best to ignore her own embarrassment and hastily grabbed another spear. She focused hard on a target and adjusted her stance. Her lightly toned muscles tensed up and she lobbed the spear hard. The spear ended up hitting the center of the target immediately behind the one she was actually aiming for. Sanjiva tried to play it off like this was her true intention. “See what distance I can achieve? I challenge you to do better!” She smirked at Iyari. She could feel her own face pulsing red and looked away in the distance. "Or is such precision even possible in your clan?"

kuumeii

 

[kuumeii]

Iyari was muttering to herself on the way back, glancing at the bright skinned mare, shaking her head. Do they ever go outside...? Iyari watched as she moved, looking as to where it went and rolled her eyes as she walked over. "It only makes sense to gloat..." She started as she tensed, using one of the practice spears and twisting with her body, sending it flying to the furthest target.

"When you do something worth gloating over." She finished, smirking back at her again, glancing back at where it went. "I'm not the best with spears in my clan, not by a long shot... But we are hunters, warriors... All of us. Unlike you, painter, was it?" Iyari gave a sidewise glance her way. "This is our training area, we spar here... train with weapons, sharpen weapons. Become masters." Iyari turned. "But you wanted to see everything, right?"

With a motion of her wings she moved back towards the area with training dummies which were crudely shaped like humans wearing long, tattered coats. "See how you stand up to one of these from a distance."

Black Magic Empress

 

[Black Magic Empress]

Sanjiva shivered since she was accustomed to having her entire body covered. She rolled her eyes as Iyari spoke of gloating. “An artisan. I do more than paint. I create! That includes crafting weapons and jewelry. When I become a true master, I’ll be able to breathe life into art. It will be a sight to behold!” She grinned and followed Iyari.

She stopped and stared at the dummies resembling humans. Her eyes went blank and fragments of memories ripped through the fabric of her mind. Her smug and thoughtful demeanor abruptly shifted to an explosion of emotion. No… Perish! Suffer! The Conquest horseman shrieked as she summoned her bow and shot madly at the dummies. She aimed at the most vital areas and her jagged arrows pierced the false humans. Her bare muscles tensed up and her stance was solid as she attacked.

She regathered herself as she looked upon the dummies. The fire in her eyes dimmed as she looked at her bow. “Damn, I was supposed to use a War weapon. I don’t know what came over me. Just the sight of those dummies brought out something. Iyari… Have you ever encountered any humans?”

kuumeii